Should left-handed people play guitar left-handed?

Short answer

Either works, and many left-handed people play right-handed guitars well. If you have never played, try holding a guitar both ways and choose the one that feels natural for strumming; if that is left-handed, buy a left-handed guitar. About 1 in 10 people is left-handed, so left-handed guitars are made, but the choice in shops is smaller.

Updated 31 October 2026 · Written by the Fretwork team

The options compared

Option	How it works	Pros	Cons
Play right-handed	Strum with the right hand, fret with the left	Any guitar, any shop; borrow anyone’s guitar	Strumming hand may feel less natural at first
Left-handed guitar	A mirror-image guitar, strummed with the left hand	Feels natural if your left hand wants to strum	Fewer models in shops; harder to borrow guitars
Right-handed guitar restrung for lefties	Strings reversed; nut and saddle adjusted by a tech	Use a guitar you already own	Controls and cutaway end up on the wrong side; needs a setup
Right-handed guitar flipped, not restrung	Played upside down with the low string at the bottom	No changes to the guitar	Chord shapes and lessons do not match; few teachers can help

About 10.6% of people are left-handed (Papadatou-Pastou and colleagues, meta-analysis of 2.4 million people, Psychological Bulletin, 2020).

A two-minute test

Hold a guitar right-handed and strum the open strings in a steady rhythm for 30 seconds.
Turn it over and do the same left-handed (ignore that the strings are in the wrong order).
Choose the side where the strumming hand keeps the steadier rhythm. Rhythm matters more than which hand feels “stronger”.

If you choose a left-handed guitar, Fretwork has a left-handed setting that mirrors its chord diagrams in lessons, so the shapes match what you see on your guitar.

Go deeper

Left-handed guitar: the full guide →The full roadmap →

Questions

Is it harder to learn guitar left-handed?

No. The skills are the same. The only extra difficulty is finding and borrowing left-handed guitars.

Do left-handed guitars cost more?

Many models cost the same or a little more, but fewer models are made, so the cheapest options are often right-handed.

Can I switch later?

You can, but it means relearning both hands. Choose before you have practiced for months.

More questions about learning guitar

How long does it take to learn guitar?With 30 minutes of practice a day, most people play their first full song in about 6 weeks, play comfortably as a beginner (songs, riffs, a simple solo) in about 5 months, and reach intermediate in about 11 months.Which guitar chords should I learn first?Start with E minor, A minor, E, A and D: they use two or three fingers, and the shapes are related, so learning one helps with the next.Should I learn guitar with an app or a teacher?Most beginners do well starting with a structured app or online course, which costs $0–$20 a month, and booking a few lessons with a teacher to check posture and technique.Can adults learn guitar?Yes.How should kids start learning guitar?Most children can start guitar at around 6 to 8 years old, on a guitar sized for them: a 1/2 or 3/4 size with nylon strings is easiest on small fingers.How much should I practice guitar?Twenty to thirty minutes on at least five days a week is enough for steady progress.Should I start on acoustic or electric guitar?Start on the guitar that plays the music you want to play: you will practice more.

Follow the roadmap, one step a day

Fretwork turns these stages into short daily lessons, each with a check at the end. The first two stages are free, with no card.

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